Budget and staffing limits cause strain for dispatchers

SEBRING, Ohio (WKBN) – It’s becoming more and more difficult for communities to ensure someone is on the other end of a 911 call with staffing shortages and budget difficulties.

Officials in Sebring are getting creative to make sure that when you call the dispatch center at the Sebring Police Department, you’ll hear a voice on the other end.

“Dispatch centers are having trouble maintaining staff, recruiting staff to do dispatch work. It does have its level of stress,” said Tim Gabrelcik, Sebring Village Manager.

The village is walking a thin line like so many others, dealing with staffing shortages.

“My first priority is safety. If we can’t fill the seats then we have a big problem. And we’re barely doing that right now,” Gabrelcik said.

Sebring currently has four full-time dispatchers and five part-timers. In a perfect world, they’d like to have six on-staff permanently.

They’ve increased wages to try and retain part-time help but might need to come up with more cash — as much as $200,000 — for additional increases.

“We may have to look at increased pay raises again for that position and to retain full-time people. As well as the rest of the police department. That’s not in the budget, but what do we do?”

The village does have a new $2 million police levy on the ballot in November, generating about $148,000 per year, costing about $70 per year for a $100,000 home.

“But that would not be the magic bullet just for dispatch alone. Part of that, if it passes, is going to need to go toward pay raises to incentivize more dispatchers, as well as the Police department,” said Gabrelcik.

Their equipment is also a concern. The two primary consoles purchased or donated years ago are obsolete and replacing them could cost upwards of $300,000.

Sebring’s dispatch center handles calls for the village in addition to Smith Township, Homeworth Fire and EMS and North Georgetown Fire and EMS.

“The communities we serve, I don’t want to leave them high and dry. This has to be a very calculated decision if we can’t come up with the money,” Gabrelcik said.

The village says any closure is way down the road. They’re currently in the process of exploring all of their options.

Their primary concern is finding staffing for the current center.

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